New Miss. law blocks info on concealed gun permits

JACKSON — A new Mississippi law says the public no longer has access to records of state-issued permits to carry concealed weapons.

Republican Gov. Phil Bryant signed House Bill 485 on Monday, and it became law immediately.

Legislators pushing the bill said they were responding to a New York newspaper’s decision earlier this year to publish names and addresses of local residents who had concealed-carry permits.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal and a Jackson blogger requested information about Mississippi records, but both said they didn’t intend to publish names or addresses. The state Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to the requests, citing an expected change in the law.

Bryant on Monday also signed House Bill 2, which becomes law July 1. It clarifies the definition of concealed weapons.